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Understanding Stress: How we can help you

To
keep it simple, stress is defined as any event that threatens homeostasis.
Homeostasis is maintaining stable and constant body conditions like
blood pressure, body temperature and the ability to adapt to our environment. This adaptation includes things like: external
temperature, water intake, physical exertion, a car accident or even positive
excitement like falling in love. Physiologists point out that while the
reaction of the body to cold temperatures is different from its reaction to fighting
an infection or getting chased by a bear, all of these
types of stress affect the body in a similar way—they all cause an increased
secretion of cortisol by the adrenal cortex. From this perspective, stress can be defined
as any event that causes increased cortisol secretion.

Most
people think of stress as the resulting factor when an event triggers a
fight-or-flight response. The fight-or-flight response is a full-body reaction
mediated by the sympathetic nervous system as an inborn, automatic reflex to
ANY perceived danger or threat to survival. This reflex has protected mankind
throughout evolution by rapidly preparing the body to respond to
life-threatening situations, like an animal attack. Although this response is
natural and essential to human life and adaptation, the body can’t
differentiate between a hypothetical threat that might be caused by an unpaid
phone bill and a genuine threat where immediate action is required to survive like
during natural disasters or getting chased by a wild animal.

Chronic
stress: (ex): you are under constant stress and pressure at work and you are constantly
worrying about finances and losing your job.

Experiencing any of these forms of stress is expected and a natural
reaction to life events; it’s how we adapt, but we must learn ways to manage
the severity of our stress. Although all of these forms of stress are not
desirable, it’s the chronic stress that can be the most detrimental to our body.
Chronic stress is a situation in which persistent stressors repeatedly trigger the
fight-or-flight response leading to prolonged elevation of cortisol and
epinephrine (adrenaline). These hormones, when triggered outside a real emergency can
wear down the body’s systems and lead to stress-related diseases like high
blood pressure, heart disease, ulcers, poor immunity, and even increased
aggression and defensive behavior. After a life threatening incident, the
epinephrine that has not been reabsorbed produces a shaky, nauseous, pumped-up
feeling. In situations of chronic stress, epinephrine causes overstimulation of
the autonomic nervous system and adrenal exhaustion associated with fatigue and
mental weariness.

A body under constant
stress becomes more susceptible to infections and diseases. People adapt
quickly to challenging situations and may not recognize that symptoms such as
insomnia, chronic tension headaches or heartburn are related to stress that
they have been undergoing. If the stress is great enough like during a natural
disaster the body cannot deal with this amount of stress and can result in a
specific and separate condition called post-traumatic stress disorder.

As a massage therapist and acupuncturist I often see people with
habitual tension patterns in muscles. For example, persistently tight shoulders
and lower back are some common examples. Acupuncture and massage therapy have been proven to
help reduce stress in the body by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system
producing a rest-and-digest response which can help with sleep, digestion and
mood. Your massage therapist and acupuncturist can also give you guidance on
homecare techniques to decrease the stress in your body.